A Different Kind of Prey
by I Major in Magick
Summary: Enola is bored, and a heat bloom draws her far from her home. But will she find a new one with the strange beings that hunt this world?
1. Chapter 1

It isn't an uncommon thing to find one of my kind bored. I admit it, and unlike some, revel in the irony of it. But, that's beside the point. What is; is that it fueled my curiosity and created a meddlesome nature that was equally as common. Even with this natural quirk, it was considered bad taste to publicly interact with humans. Still, it wasn't totally unheard of and in the olden days it was an ordinary occurrence. It was things like the black plague and having a third of the population die that made us stick to manipulating our own kind or at the very least be more discrete.

During my life it seemed that I was the butt of many a joke, probably because I didn't fit into their perfect little world, with unmarked porcelain skin and silky smooth hair. Fragile girls that would break if you touched them and arrogant men that thought the world belonged to them. Instead, I was the woman-child that was constantly fighting and covered in scars of all kinds that seemed to be highlighted by sun tanned skin. My own family tried to rid themselves of me many times before; I was ugly, scarred and strong. All traits that were unfitting for a woman of the courts.

It was in my solitude that I had even barely noticed a heat bloom in one of the coldest places in the world. If it hadn't of caught even the smallest bit of my attention, then I would've missed out on one of the biggest adventures of my life. There was a ship, a huge monstrosity of an iron boat, and it was filled with agitated and inexperienced crew.

This was the perfect emotional climate for my kind; it's like a breeding ground for glamour and chaos. The perfect cure for boredom

Even though it was against what I was taught, I couldn't help at least stirring the pot a little bit. Names had become useless because they would probably all die in the end, anyway. There was no way I was going to get attached and want to make them a more permanent toy. They were barely people to me, simply dolls that needed to be manipulated.

It was cold and even the burning of iron near me and glamour wasn't enough to keep the goose bumps off of my skin. Sprinting to the nearest supply room, I quickly slid into a warm thick coat. The slight hindrance to my movement was more than worth it as I felt my body slowly start to heat. I heard voices near the top deck of the ship, but it was simply one of the scientists flirting with the guide.

He called the phase of the moon the "hunter's moon" which was more than enough to make me smirk at the irony. There was more than hunting going on. I could feel it and it sent the spindly trills of excitement screaming through my system. That was infinitely better than staring at a wall and trying to keep up with pointless lineages and inbred rulers. I very much preferred the old ways. Where we were able to manipulate and tear at the very sanity of our victims.

But, listening to the idle chitchat of these people wasn't satisfying me. Having spent the last few days here, I'd already learned the ins and outs of the social and physical environment. With every ounce of stealth that I possessed, I jumped over the iron railing of the ship and landed on a nearby patch of ice that was vaguely attached to the rest of the island. Frost bit my skin as I ran with the wind towards the site of the bloom.

Seeing the faint outline of buildings, I dashed forwards and explored this new place. Snow barely glided down in wispy spirals. Short metal buildings covered in a thick layer of frost jutted up in the mostly flat surroundings. My sepia eyes darted over the barren landmass as the humans wandered over. Waiting until they had set up a motorized sled, I left the humans to their exploration. I gripped the icy sled and they sent it down on a test run. It sped down the steep slope and with a sudden stop threw me off when it reached the bottom. Without pause it raced back up to the surface, leaving me completely alone.

The interior of what I assumed was an entry-way was made of solid stone and was adorned in hieroglyphics and statues. Running a hand over the ancient writing, I wished with all of my being that I could understand all that was written here; all of the secrets that were tucked away and the history that had transpired.

Then there were the statues…

They were tall, some over nine feet, and had muscles like a body builder's wet dream. Their faces were covered by the smooth edges and planes of what must have been a mask. Overall, they were impressively detailed and drew the eye to them as if magnetic.

The soft 'wrrrr' of the sled brought my attention back to the rest of the humans that were entering the underground temple. I watched them meet up with the group that had set up the supports. They lit flares, to see in the nearly non-existent light of the caves, casting the walls with a blood red glow. One girl had wandered off slightly as her light dimmed.

In the dying light I saw that she was the same guide that the scientist had been flirting earlier. She had dark hair and eyes that were hidden between warm layers of clothes. Behind her an older man had lit a flare and it startled her.

"I don't understand it," He started, "No equipment. No sign of another team."

The girl looked at him warily and sighed, "Well, that tunnel didn't dig itself."


	2. Chapter 2

So they _hadn't_ been the ones that excavated the area. It was a strange phenomenon that made me happy to have followed them into the bowls of the world, far from everyone that I knew. I was freezing cold, out of my element, and probably breaking a dozen of my laws; but, I was so beyond happy that I wouldn't even consider going back to the surface.

Men unloaded crates at the opening of the hole as I watched them. In the light of dying flares they found a way to set up stadium lights and that was when they first saw the pyramid.

"Congratulations, Mr. Weyland," The woman from before said evenly, almost without emotion, "Looks like you'll be making your mark after all."

The man, that I had considered calling Weyland, stood in front of them all, his eyes glued to the ancient structure before him. He repeated breathy "thank you"s and went on about "making history" as they started to enter the pyramid that I already hid inside.

Like me, they had been intrigued by the carvings that adorned nearly every flat surface. One man, who was rather skinny and had an accent much like my own, took pictures and cataloged everything in sight. Though we probably came from the same region of the world, he didn't hold my interest. But what did, was that were he had just stood a single stone slid down. Barely any noise was made but the tell tale scrapping was enough to tell me that it wasn't an accident or a mistake.

It was a trap.

And the vibrations that I felt coming from further into the world weren't exactly comforting either. Especially with the flair of telepathic energy that lashed out and nearly suffocated me. Leaning against the wall, so I could catch my breath, I saw the group of humans walk further into the pyramid.

"Thomas?" One of the men said. "What is it?"

'Thomas' brushed some of the frost and dust off of a segment of wall and looked at the box like carvings. "I recognize the Egyptian-"

"The second symbol is Aztec," Another man interrupted, reading the words on the wall, "The third is Cambodian."

Weyland stared in wonder at the walls, "Then you were right. The pyramid contains all three cultures."

"That's what it looks like," The second man replied.

I glanced over their shoulders at the wall and found that the alphabet was similar to what some of the fire fae from South America used. The dialect was hard to decipher, but I could still understand some of it.

"_Only the chosen ones may enter."_

Seeing it written down sent a shiver up my spine, but I choose to ignore it as I walked away from the humans.

Walking through a large archway, I was in a room with the remains of what appeared to be humans. They lay on granite beds with their decomposing flesh frozen. The room itself was a perfect hexagon and there were the same numbers of slabs and corpses. Behind me, the humans entered the sacrificial chamber and continued to catalog and talk about what they suspected happened. I ignored it since I felt the telepathic energy raising. Though I was worried, I refused to let it scare me. Their conversations remained ignored until I heard something that neither of us could explain.

"But that's not where the heart is," A woman with short blond hair and a blue jacket said. "Besides, it looks like the bones were bent straight out. Something broke out of this body."

I started to examine the body from my hideaway, to check the conclusion, but I heard a screaming from in and outside my mind. It brought me to my knees and seemed to be a magnification of the earlier psychic assault. I lay near the wall twitching, out of sight of the humans, unable to speak, scream, or move. I was barely aware of my surroundings, all I could feel was that some of the humans had left and only six remained in the room with me.

When I did come back to myself, there were vibrations beneath me. Walls were moving and I was questioning my state of mind because of it. Moving out of the way as the door closed I saw that I was indeed alone in a room with six humans. There also wasn't any way out. Seconds after the air started to settle something came out of each stone slab. They looked squishy and were covered in a thin layer of goo. Something about them seemed off and I climbed onto a higher ledge near the ceiling. I saw the connection from them to whatever sent out that mental shriek and it made me wary. Yet, my curiosity got the better of me.

Reaching out with a telepathic nudge I watched in horror as the umbilical-like connection to the shrieking thing break and instead it latched onto me. In my mind I _felt_ its instincts, and it nearly consumed me. For that split second, I _wanted_ to go down there and strangle them until they felt unconscious and … I can't even explain it. Trembling, I pushed the presence into the back of my mind.

Then they started to hatch.

Spidery crab-like legs moved lightening fast and clamped onto the faces of each human in the room. Tails wrapped around their legs and cut off circulation and oxygen. I watched them struggle before all was quiet again. The woman got off a single shot before being taken, and my awful luck had the bullet ricochet off of the wall and graze my arm.

The iron burned and cauterized the wound, but not before a scream of my own ripped from my throat. The presence in my mind purred slightly, like a cat, and seemed to send me direct emotions of comfort.

_Queen…_

It shocked me into silence. Whatever was in the egg I prodded spoke to me, through my mind. I'm it's queen? How did that become my title?

_Soon I'll be free. Then you won't be in pain anymore._

Whatever that creature was, it sounded like a little kid. Like it wanted to protect its family. I sent back my own signal of acceptance as the spidery animals went limp and fell off of their hosts. For a minute, I was sad and thought that whatever it was, had died.

Until more child-like feelings were sent my way and the woman arched her back in pain. Something small and snake like burst out of her chest. It ran up the wall and towards me faster than I thought was possible. When it reached me, it curled up in my lap and wrapped its tail around my wrist.

_Are you alright, Queen?_

"It's just a flesh wound. I'll be fine, I've had worse."

And I had, the stab wound on the right side of my stomach and the various slash and burn marks were a testament to that. My own sister was the cause of an ugly scar on my cheek.

"Do you know how to get out of here, little one?"

_Yes, Queen. There is another ledge that isn't far from here. It leads to other parts of the pyramid._

I nodded, putting the small creature on my shoulder and climbing to the ledge that was around 3 feet away. Once inside, the creature got off of me and scampered off through the tunnels. I didn't know how long I was crawling around, but soon enough the walls began to shift and the ceiling lifted away. Straightening up I sent a mental shout to the creature that had worried about me.

_Hello? Are you still there?_

I waited barely a second before I got my answer. It was strange though, because I could tell that it was the same thing as before, due to the telepathic bond, but its voice had changed. No longer was it of a small child, but it seemed to have grown remarkably fast. Now, it seemed to be an older teen's voice.

_Yes, I'm here. I've been hunting._

I wasn't sure whether he hunted his own, the humans, or something else entirely, but I wanted to be sure that he would be alright. He was a part of my pack, more so than any one that I shared blood with. At least, he hasn't attempted to kill me yet.

_What have you gotten so far? _ I sent the thought in passing as I ducked out of sight of some terrified humans.

_A person, but I'm working on taking a Yautja_ _down._

I paused, unsure what he was talking about. Throughout my life, I had yet to hear about anything by that name. _Where are you? I want to watch._

_Behind you…_


	3. Chapter 3

I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. Small scratching noises had come to my attention, but I had ignored it and kept walking. Seeing as it was someone I was looking for, I whipped around. What I saw was a drastically different from the small dog sized thing from before. Now, he towered over me at 10 feet. The basic anatomy that I saw when he was a baby was still there, I just couldn't get over how fast he grew.

_The Yautja isn't far from here. We just have to go a little farther._

True to his word, at the next corner we saw the remains of a person and a Yautja. Both were dead, but near a door, another live one was turning, searching for whatever had killed his partner.

He was tall, more so than my five feet eleven Inches. There were slight acid burns on his chest that looked fresh. A detailed silvery mask covered his face and some of the top of his head. From his head spilled long dreadlocks with silver bands place sporadically. Covering his muscled chest and arms was a dark grey fishnet like material. I could tell that there was a metallic element in it, from the heat that seemed to radiate off of it. Looking closer I saw that the netting covered all of his exposed skin which was a molted brown-grey with hints of green near his stomach.

He reminded me of the old Celts that used to visit my home.

_There he is…_

I was shocked out of my observations at that point. So that was a Yautja, he didn't seem like that horrible of a being. Then again I wasn't the best judges of looks. From our ledge just above him, we saw that the acid burns also covered the walls and a chunk of metal that we assumed was his armor.

My friend started to climb towards him and just as he leapt at the Yautja, he turned around and launched a net from a gun on his shoulder.

Screams filled my mind and mine soon joined it. I jumped off of the ledge without thinking and got in between the two fighting creatures. The Yautja pushed me aside, nicking me with his wrist blades. In horror, I watched as the netting tightened around my friend. Dark green blood leaked out behind the strands of netting and it started to sizzle until it broke and he was free again.

He stood up and seeing me on the ground with my left arm scratched and launched himself at his opponent.

_MY QUEEN!_

My serpent pinned him to the ground and started to lash out at him with this second mouth. Just as he was about to land a blow through the skull of my attacker I placed my hand on his equivalent of a shoulder.

_Don't! You don't need to do this. I'm fine; he probably thinks that you're helping the others of your kind that are here._

To the other being I spoke aloud. "He isn't a part of the main group that lives here. I accidentally took over his mental connection with, what I'm guessing is, the queen of the hive."

Turning to the black serpent-like creature I saw the grid-like pattern that was imprinted on his skull. Hesitantly I touched the wound, only to pull my hand away when it burned my finger tips. He needed someone that could give him a purpose here, and so far, I hadn't been doing a good job of it. _Grid, I think there may be a way to get out of here. We'll need his help, though. So, please don't kill him. You call me your queen, and this is all that I ask of you to do._

The newly named 'Grid' took a moment before he grudgingly got off of the Yautja and nodded to me before nudging my injured arm with his face apologetically. Smiling at his antics I turned my attention to my assailant.

"We'll need your help to get out, and I'm willing to make a deal," My voice radiated a business sense that I actually lacked, but none the less I continued. "He won't attack you and I don't care about any of the others. All we need is to get out of here. I can guarantee that we won't cause trouble, and that no human will ever see us. I'll even be willing to help you do what you set out to do here."

For a moment the creature before me simply stared through his steel mask. Cocking his head to the side, he brought his wrist blades up against my neck. I felt the iron burn my skin, but I refused to flinch away or show pain. Instead, I gazed at where I guessed his eyes were and hoped he'd understand why I couldn't just sit here and be made into a victim.

A chorus of clicks and trills was my only answer as he pulled away and stood up. Backing away from each other, we continued to study one another. His molted skin was indeed similar to the Celtic hobgoblins that visited my old residence, though these creatures were much taller and muscular. The dread locks that I had at one time assumed to be hair, were a rubbery material that made me want to feel the unique texture. There were three long slash marks occupied the left corner of his mask which I guessed was caused by the first attack that he had met. Beneath the fishnets I saw that scars that ran along his form. Finishing my observations of him, I nodded absentmindedly and my gaze returned to his face where he was intently studying me.

"Can you speak English?"

At first he didn't respond, and I visibly deflated thinking that he couldn't even understand me, but given a few seconds he shook his head 'no'. Still disappointed I had to assume that he could at least comprehend what I was saying, since he had replied. I refused to be overly disheartened, this wasn't a big deal and I'd already broken some of the major no contact laws, so I might as well enjoy myself before I get sent back under. At least I could talk to him and Grid.

Celtic, as I had recently dubbed him, turned his back on Grid and made his way to the fallen creature. Tearing off one of its fingers he brought it to his mask; I couldn't see what he had done, but when he turned around there was a symbol carved into where I guessed his forehead was.

Two simple and curved lines, formed to look like a tilted letter 'T', adorned the once smooth metal. He moved down a corridor and there was little else to do than follow. The sweaty odor of human emanated from this hallway, and they smelled more than terrified. Yet it seemed a simple task to keep my word, just help him do what he was sent to do.

Grid nudged my shoulder again, and we started to follow the tall being through the labyrinth-like pyramid. Walking a few dozen paces behind him, I watched the way his muscles played beneath his skin. It was strangely engrossing to see how they'd coil and relax as he strode through the frigid hallways. He must have been nearly pure muscle, from the look of his back. Continuing my silent ogling I saw that the metallic loincloth he wore left little to imagine and brought a light pink to my tanned skin. Before my mind went any further I forced myself to look away and try keeping track of where we were before the next shift.

Eventually, when the walls did move, I gave up on keeping track our location. I didn't know how the walls moved, or even if we would continue down a corridor or meet a dead end. Then again, a bigger concern was sticking together. Walls would glide and seem to try to come between us or even crush us. If it weren't for me being able to move a little faster than a human, I'd lose them or my life.

And yet, in the lull between the shifts, I couldn't help but lose myself in thoughts of my newly found freedom. The latest fight with my sister, where I finally chose to break apart from my blood, had marked me as something less than a worm. It also resulted in a few new scars that adorned my arms and leg. Broken skin and thick almost creamy blood of both of us had filled the courtyard that day. It was a blessing that I had more experience in a dirty fight. And she certainly fought dirtily, as the new bite mark on my leg would confirm.

A faint hissing, one that I barely heard and in other circumstances would have ignored, sounded behind me. From my position in the back, I stopped and turned around. Neither Celtic nor Grid noticed my lack of movement as they continued through the halls. I found that we had wandered into a rectangular room with high ceilings that had their own openings in the walls that lead to ventilation systems and other hallways. It wasn't entirely dissimilar to the room that I had met the muscular creature in; and yet, the room swallowed the sounds that were inside it, refusing to release it into the surrounding corridors.


	4. Chapter 4

As the hissing grew louder and more intense, I pulled out a silver dagger that I had strapped to my leg, under my tan skirt. Backing myself up to the wall and searching all of the openings in the rooms for the source of the threatening chatter, I felt more than saw the creature that was above me on the wall. A small sound, under the continuous snarl, was all I had to alert me to the coming attack. Blindly, I slashed the air where I heard the sound and whipped around to face my attacker. Feeling the connection of blade and flesh I pulled at the hilt and with a satisfying rip it was free. Before me was a serpent, similar to Grid but perhaps a bit smaller. It sat back on its hind legs and clutched at its torn throat. For a moment it stayed there struggling to bring air into its lungs and keep it there.

Seconds past, before it hit the frost bitten ground with a final thud.

My thoughts raced and must have alerted Grid to my distress, because the next few moments were filled with him pulling me back and checking me for injuries.

There was a dull throb in my hand that still clutched the dagger, but beyond that I felt completely fine.

Three long fingers probed my hand and it was then that I felt a focused burning. Looking down I saw that my right hand was covered in shallow acid burns and the blade of my knife became the size of a toothpick. Grid clasped my hand and added pressure as I used all of my self control to keep from screaming.

In a small part of my mind, the part that felt little and stood objectively observing all of the things that went on around me, noticed that Celtic had gone and examined the thing I just killed. He was kneeling next to it and exposing the wound track. A sharp jolt from Grid's claws removed me from my awareness and brought a hiss from between my teeth.

The sudden sound caused Celtic's head to whip towards me with his dreadlocks twirling around his face. Screwing my eyes shut I tried to block out the pain of my burned hand and focus on a healing energy for it. Visualizing the blood cells in the flesh clotting and the skin knitting back together focused my energies to mend the wound. The faint feeling of itching, made my fingers twitched, as the nerves rebuild themselves. A thick white scar covered the wound, surrounded by a lighter pink that signaled it being newly formed.

As the finishing touches of the healing ended, a rougher hand grabbed mine. Barely glancing up from beneath my eyelashes, I saw that Celtic was examining my previously burned hand. He turned it over in his large clawed hand and studied it as the last effects wore off. Taking a quick breath through my nose, I observed my former wound as well. The mark was the same color as what my skin should've been; not that it was all that surprising, I had many marks covering my skin and most shared that quality.

Clicks and what almost sounded like a purr came from the Yautja in front of me. Slowly he went to grab a finger of the alien corpse and rip it off. There was a moment where he let the blood drip onto the floor and burn small dents into the solid granite. When he put the ripped stub to the ground and burned a symbol of the lopsided 'T' near the dents. I stared at it for a moment, full of confusion, and asked what it meant.

I knew I wasn't going to get a verbal response, but he pointed to my cheek, the finger, my heart, and then his own. I wasn't entirely sure what the full meaning was, but it seemed that it would make me similar to him.

Since that didn't seem to bad considering the circumstances I nodded before baring my unscarred left cheek to him. As he burned the symbol into my skin, I clutched the other arm that wasn't scarring me. I couldn't stop clutching him as the burning sensation consumed my mind. Unlike the short exposure that I experienced before, where my blood was able to dilute the acid, the scalding blood was able to sear the wound shut forming an instant scar.

The firm muscles clutched under my hands rippled as he took away the finger and placed it onto the ground. Lightly pulling away, he pulled at a few tubes that connected to his mask. They pulled away with a hiss and said mask was tugged away to finally reveal his face.

Admittedly, I had witnessed the many faces of even more species that were shocking. There were the faces of half morphed selkies that resembled something between frog's eyes, a horse's nose, and a human mouth. There were the many different types of Goblins, that could be either tall or short, but they were all surprisingly different with tusks, tentacles, elephant like noses, or tails. So when I saw his high forehead and four mandibles that surrounded an inner mouth, I wasn't scared in the least. I simply gazed at him and observed these new details now that they were nearly half a foot away.

A light purring bubbled up from the back of his throat as he watched me with startling hunter green eyes. The rumbling in his chest was what had alerted me to how close we were. My back was against the wall and my legs were splayed in front of me; while Celtic kneeled over me straddling my left leg and keeping some of his weight on the hand that had burned me. Despite how little we touched, I still felt every movement that either of us made, whether it was a breath or the slightest shift.

My eyes widened with surprise, and I quickly broke my grip on his arms. I felt my cheeks warm, but there was nowhere I could go. Distressed embarrassment filled the bond and Grid quickly pulled me up the wall and onto my feet.

Out of the near embrace I started to walk away from the scene. Hearts, no matter how fast they may beat, can't be trusted. They had lead to some of the ugly scars that permeated more than just my skin. Grid walked close behind me, probably sensing the tone of my reflection, but remaining silent about it. Little sound was made by our group, my thick and comfortable shoes padded while the others used whatever knowledge they had to keep the metallic sounds of claws and boots non-existent. Occasionally I'd feel small comforting pin-pricks through the bond, but there was no real language behind it.

After another shift, the room opened up and a chasm dropped between the two sides of the room. The sides were connected by a crumbling bridge that looked as if it wouldn't support the weight of a goblin, none the less a member of our group. Yet, when two humans erupted through a door and took a flying leap to cross the now destroyed bridge, I wasn't surprised to see that one of them had nearly fallen to their death. The other, in his attempt to save the other girl, was dragged away by one of the serpents. We watched, detached as his screamed echoed and faded into the dark.

The other scrambled up the wall and called for her companion. After a few steps, she picked something up off of the ground, I couldn't see what it was, but whatever it was she slipped into her pocket as she trekked on.

Grid tapped my shoulder with his tail, and I turned to see that there were other serpents in the tunnel, and that I should definitely move if I wanted to remain unseen. Phantom pain emanated from my hand as I stood back and watched them approach. Celtic turned and watched them as they noticed him.

He had pulled a piece of his armor and it turned into a disk, which he threw at the oncoming things. The ones that were in the way soon became piles of acidic corpses. Some parts flew in other directions and what had my attention was the sharp tip of one of their tails. It was through a half dozen feet towards us and it was barely out of my reach. It was the only thing available that I could see as a spare weapon. I needed something to protect myself with, but with Grid blocking my way there was little chance of getting my hands on it. There were still four of the serpents that Celtic was fighting, but I hated standing by and doing nothing.

_Grid, I need a weapon._

He spared a glance back before answering. _No, you don't. We'll protect you._

_What if we get separated? I need something to defend myself with, at the very least. _My exasperated reply shot back. Softening my tone, I continued, _it'll make me feel better, please? Just let me grab something._

He paused, and I felt his resolve shaking. _What did you have in mind?_

_When Celtic through the disk a piece of their tail blade had been thrown over there, I could use it as a knife._

He stilled a moment, and I felt him shaking the discomfort from his mind, but he still darted out and grabbed it. Before anyone noticed anything, he was back and pressing the blade into my hands, which I gratefully grasped. Feeling at least somewhat safe, I studied the colliding forces in front of me.

They were fast, incredibly fast. Precise slashes and stabs, met with armor or flesh. I'd never seen anything like it. It was simply amazing, and I couldn't look away. Then Celtic brought his arm, as well as his blade, back to make a swipe at his opponent's neck. He barely missed, but before the serpent could recover from the near fatal blow, Celtic had taken his other arm and brought another knife straight up and into the creature's chin.

Not even a second passed before it fell to its side, dead.


	5. Chapter 5

I continued staring, how was it that I had killed one of these creatures earlier that very day. Granted, the one that I fought was a little smaller and had been thinking it had caught me off guard. There was just something that seemed a little bit off about it. Considering the situation that I was in, I couldn't just sit there and contemplate the possibility of my almost demise.

There were better things to do at the moment. Things like trying to stay alive.

Grid moved aside to let me pass, and with my new freedom, I saw the remnants of the things that had tried to kill us. They looked like Grid, in most ways; the only exception was the pattern that was cut into his skull-like exoskeleton. The glossy black of their skin was the same, their eye-less faces; it made sense that Grid felt uneasy about giving me a piece of them so I could fight.

He didn't want to use his kind that way, and I could understand that to an extent, but I needed to do this. There needed to be a way to defend myself, and glamour wasn't the most effective weapon against something that isn't human.

Considering the circumstances, there was no helping the discomfort, and we'd have to deal with it until our jobs were done here.

It was simple, but cold.

A tapping on my shoulder brought me out of my contemplation. Turning, I saw it was Celtic and that he was gesturing to the archway that the surviving human had gone through. Murmurs echoed from the entrance, and it told me enough to know that the woman had met something that hadn't ripped her apart on sight.

Approaching the hall, we saw that she had met another like Celtic. He was slightly shorter and had a simpler mask, but it was easy to see they were a part of the same group that had entered the pyramid.

The woman took something metallic from her backpack. Its smooth sides were seamless, and it glinted in the limited light.

"The enemy of the enemy is my friend."

Before I could stop myself, I replied, "How very Machiavellian of you, although, I do agree with the thought process."

She whipped around and the Yautja drew out blades from his wrist armor.

"Who-"she started, but due to her state, she changed the inquiry to 'how'.

"Who I am isn't important, and the question isn't so much a 'how' as it is a 'why'," I replied.

She took a step back, probably surprised by the coldness with which I addressed her, "Fine then. Why are you here?"

Shrugging, there was little to my reply, "Curiosity and boredom."

She stood shocked for a moment, with wide eyes and slumped shoulders. "How can you say that? People are dying here! What about the creatures? They'd infect you in a second."

Unfazed by her angry accusations, I tucked a strand of hair behind my pointed ear. "I'm not exactly human, so my loyalties don't lie with you or your kind." Stepping forward slightly, Grid was able to step around the corner and into view. "As for the beings here, I'm set for protection."

She stumbled back, in fear and surprise. The metal from her bag went flying into the air, only to be caught by the other Yautja. As soon as he caught it, it was attached to his shoulder and aimed directly at Grid.

_Grid, I don't think you want to be shot with that, is there a way you can explain that you won't attack?_

He sent a positive vibe, and padded in front of me. He leaned near the ground and curled up in a ball at my feet. From there, he simply relaxed.

_The Yautja understands what I'm doing; you may have to explain to the human, though._

This was definitely more believable than just saying that we'd remain unharmed. Plus, it made things easier to not have an alien mute glaring at me.

"He isn't going to attack, his mental bond with the queen was broken, and now he associates me with that title. He won't hurt anyone, unless I'm in trouble or if I ask him to." I patted Grid's head lightly as I passed, standing directly in front of the woman I continued, "Now, look, I made a deal with that Yautja over there. I'm going to help him do whatever it was he was sent here to do, and in return I get the entertainment of watching."

"Even if you aren't one of us, how can you enjoy watching people die?"

"To me, you aren't people," My voice deadpanned. "You're a source of glamour and entertainment." In her anger, she brought her arm back and attempted to strike my face, but I had easily sidestepped and caught her wrist. "I know it's cruel, but it's your humanity that My Kind sees as your biggest weakness. Even the fae that disagree with it, have a kind of kindness you'd find cruel." Letting go of her hand, I saw it fall limp to the side. "I've been fighting my entire life. Whether it's been against my blood or for a cause, it's always been the same. People die and humans are too fragile, even for pets."

She backed away, flinching when my gaze met hers. Even when Grid walked between us, she didn't look away.

_There's something coming… _His mental voice tugged at my consciousness.

_Is it more of the serpents?_

_Yes._

I heard the sound seconds later as I fell into a crouch with my dagger at the ready. Grid stood in my way, but I quickly told him to go and that I'd be fine. He wouldn't completely leave, but at least he wasn't in my way. I couldn't see Celtic, but I could guess that he was waiting to see the fight. There were at least three coming towards us that I heard. Considering what I'd seen earlier, they'd most likely stay in the dark, and I angled myself to keep an eye on the corners of the room, where light barely reached. The other predator also kept an eye on the darkened areas of the hallway. What looked like a laser sight came from the metal thing on his shoulder, so I had to guess it was a gun of some kind.

When they finally did burst from the darkness of the room we were ready. There were four from throughout the room. One was on the ceiling and had jumped at the new Yautja and they started fighting. Grid was trying to hold one off as another lunged at me.

Wrapping my glamour around me I slashed at his throat and tried to back away. It brought its tail around and cut the patch of skin that had been grazed by a bullet earlier. While it was recovering I grabbed the extension and cut it off with my dagger. It spasmed and whipped its tail around, and melted some of the stone walls. Screaming, I lunged forward and aimed right at the heart. My knife slipped in almost like butter, and when I pulled it out I felt the breaking of the thing's body. Acidic drops barely grazed my clothes as I tried to avoid them but pulling away so quickly through off my balance and I was falling. When my back hit something other than the floor, I whipped around with the thought that it was another serpent. It wasn't of them, Celtic stood there and I stopped halfway through my strike.

Without a word, I nodded and smiled slightly, taking in more than the would-be attackers in my surroundings. Four lie dead on the ground and Celtic had dragged a fifth in from further down the hall. Its acid blood burned a strikingly clear path from its starting location. Silence reigned for a portion of time after skirmish, and it was enough for us to see the effect on our hunting companions.

"What are these things?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but they seem to have a hive-like mentality," I replied, being the only one that she could really hold a conversation with.

She turned to face me, and in trying to make eye-contact found the scares that marred my skin. "Who are you?"

Her blunt question was simple and to her it probably had no meaning other than a simple name and what happened to bring me here. She was ignorant, like the rest of her race, and though I wasn't nearly the worst out there, I still didn't hold her to high regard. "There is power in names, but for now, you can call me Enola. It will suffice for a title." I paused, "Can you return the favor with your name?"

"Lex," Came a huffy reply.

"I see. Well, 'Lex', I'm currently fulfilling a bargain, so I don't really have any reason to stick around here. That is, unless he chooses to stick with his own kind," My voice was cold as I gestured to the clicking pair of Yautja.


	6. Chapter 6

I couldn't help but compare them, even if for only a moment. You could tell they were the same species, but there were differences were just as those of my species or even humans. Celtic was a good half of a foot taller than this newcomer. The cream undertones with green-ish splotches were also unique to him. Even the masks were different, since Celtic had intricate designs near the mouth portion and the other has smooth curved sides.

Their communication stopped when they saw me studying them. The newcomer forcibly grabbed my face and turned it to the side, exposing my marked cheek to him. A low growl left my throat as I tore my face away. His clawed fingers cut my skin, but there was little worry about the damage as I dropped into a crouch and wielded my blade.

An amused trill is what drew our attention away from one another. Celtic walked between us and had continued to click in his own language. When he put his hand on my shoulder and even went so far as to touch the mark on my cheek, I felt the earlier heat return to my body.

I relaxed and stood up as his hand went to my hair and stroked some of the loose tendrils that framed my face and neck. My eyes drifted almost shut when he found small downy hairs that grew along the back of my neck.

A moment of clarity is what brought me out of my contented state. Reasons why this wasn't a good idea, why it could get us killed, why it could ban be from ever returning to where I was born. How could I enjoy this when it seems like it's something I should be avoiding at all costs.

I stilled my movements, I barely breathed.

Celtic noticed and pulled away.

My head tilted as I continued to sort out my thoughts. They hadn't wanted me there, and had even gone so far as to try murder. Blood or not, there was no loyalty among them. Then again, who's to say that things would be any different here? For centuries humans had killed things that are different and I certainly was different. Then there was grid, who latched onto a mental connection that could only be described as hijacked.

In an attempt to avoid the awkward situation that was already forming, I asked, "So I'm guessing you two are friends, huh?"

Celtic nodded with more clicks and trills.

"Then we shouldn't be fighting," I tried to make eye contact with the one that grabbed my face, but I had no idea if I succeeded due to his mask. In the end I settled for nodding at him and moving to the edge of the hallway.

Distance made things more tolerable, and I was able to look at the situation more objectively this way. I may as well face the fact that I won't be welcomed back home, no matter that others had done worse in the name of boredom and been forgiven. I didn't have the luxury of being well liked in my own community. So I may as well enjoy this while I can, before they send someone to bring me back or kill me. With a small smile to myself, I focused more on the people in front of me.

Lex had taken parts of her attacker and made a spear and shield out of them. Now we had matching lopsided 'T' scars on our cheeks. Once we were all prepared, we ran down the corridor in our attempt to get out.

When we reached a fork, our pace slowed down until we stopped. One way led into a huge dome-like room and the other led to another corridor. As Celtic stood with the other Yautja, Lex went into the room on her own. Grid and I went to follow seeing as there was little else to do. When we caught up we saw that she was talking to one of her team members that was stuck to the wall. She held a gun in her hand and was trying to break the bindings on his prison.

That was when the others caught up to us. Celtic stood by Grid and I as the other examined him for a moment before raising his own gun.

Lex begged him not to shoot him and she continued to try freeing him. "Sebastian" as she called him, told her that he was infected, and I could see the bond that went to the shrieking thing went from his chest to somewhere below us.

"They can't reach the surface."

Lex nodded at him, with tears streaming down her face. There was a moment where she just looked at him before she held the gun to his head. He gave her a quiet smile as she pulled the trigger and yelped a quick sorry.

His body relaxed as he died, but there was still movement. A serpent burst from his chest, and I pulled Grid away before he could see it's death.

When Lex left, she had dropped her gun and gotten her spear again. Now she was leaning against the wall and attempting to stifle her tears.

"You know," I started, "It isn't a good idea to be off on your own like this. You could be ambushed."

She glared at me and said nothing.

"Then again, if you want your friend to die for nothing, then go ahead."

"How can you just sit there and act as though nothing has happened?" She shouted. "I know you don't consider it worth your time, but you have to admit that it's a horrible thing that they're all dying!"

It would've affected me if I had been here earlier in life but that wasn't the case and I have grown colder to the plight of humanity. Still it seemed almost laughable that she thought that my answers would have changed so soon.

"They would have died anyway, admittedly it would've been a little later in life, but it still would have happened. There is little that can be done to prevent it, and you had given him the better option when it came to his death. Instead of having his bones ripped out and broken, he had the solace of saying good-bye. It was all that could've been done."

She blinked back a few stubborn tears and nodded bitterly as the others caught up to us.

I let the others walk ahead of me; only Grid stayed behind with me, and even then he didn't speak to me. His tail wrapped around my wrist as if asking for comfort.

_It's alright, Grid. You're going to be alright._

Still he didn't reply, but we did move to catch up with the others. Celtic looked back for a moment and nodded to the two of us. I smiled slightly and nodded back hoping that he understood that we'd be okay.

That was when the screams returned. It reverberated though the tunnels and tore at the edges of my mind. As the shriek died, there was a moment of pure satisfied victory. Even when it stopped, the echo was deafening in my mind, to the point where I couldn't breathe. I clutched my head and my fingers buried themselves in my hair. I must've been out for a while because the next thing I knew, I was being loaded onto the motorized sled that led to the surface.


	7. Chapter 7

Lex and the other Yautja were near the sled, waiting for it to power up. Celtic gently laid me down without letting the metal touch my skin. There was another screech and I twitched slightly before I heard the sound of the sled finishing powering up. The Yautja, Lex, Grid, and Celtic looked down the passageway, before they jumped onto the sled and it started to shoot up the steep incline. Grid led on beside me, and Celtic pinned me to the sled, so that I wouldn't fall off. Somewhere to the other side of me, Lex and the other Yautja clung to the sled. I could see the opening above me, and yet we continued to speed up; faster and faster until we were flung out of the entrance and through the air.

Flames burst from the tunnel as we exited and it forced the sled out from under us and tore me out of Celtic's grip. I landed in the snow and it cushioned the majority of the impact. Catching my breath, I stood up and surveyed the former whaling station. Lex and the Yautja were near already up and looking around, and I couldn't see Grid and Celtic. Frantically, I searched the nearest building and found that Grid had broken through the wall into an old crate.

I hurried to his side and threw the pieces of wood off of his form. He was dazed, for a moment, but eventually he got up and motioned for us to get outside. Before I even reached the door, I ran into something invisible. What shimmered into being was Celtic, and in an act of pure relief, I wrapped my arms as far as they would go around his waist.

There we stood, in the broken remains of a century old building, far from any form of civilization and all I could do was cling to one of the two beings I felt closest to.

"You're okay," I mumbled into his chest as he started to purr. His arms wrapped around me, like corded steal. I nuzzled closer trying to prove to myself that he was there.

I had no idea how long we stayed in out embrace, but eventually we heard yells from outside, and sounds of battle. We stepped back from each other and ran towards the sounds. Lex stood with the other Yautja, facing the crater from out exit. From its recesses something had crawled though and started to attack.

It looked similar to Grid, but the crest on its head went farther down its back, and it was much bigger than he was. Plus, there were iron bands around each of its arms and legs. My dagger had been dropped, which meant that I had no weapon. There were many pieces of frozen wood, but they were left in the cold for long enough to be brittle and do little damage. If I were to give up some of the glamour that was keeping me warm, I could fight with it, but there are consequences for that; ones that could easily decide whether this was a life or death situation.

I saw that the thing had thrown back the Yautja with its tail and had started to chase Lex around the buildings.

Fear

I could sense it radiating off of Lex and it fueled my glamour enough that I felt comfortable to use it. Pealing some of it away from my skin I was able to shape it into something that I was accustomed to fighting with. There was a handle that fit perfectly into my hand; it looked like it was made of old leather. Fire burned out of the tip of the handle, in a long strand that was much longer than my height.

I ran and lifted the whip –like weapon, controlling the glamour to strike where it was unprotected. Its head whipped around and I hit the side of its face. It shrieked and I was able to recognize it as the thing that had been screaming in the pyramid.

No blood fell, as I backed away to strike again; the fire had cauterized the wound. It left Lex under the water tower and came after me instead. It was terrifying having that thing running at you, but I drew its attention and I had to do something to keep it from killing me. I drew my glamour around me again and focused on getting out of sight. When I turned a sharp corner it ran past me and I was able to attack it again, but Grid stopped me from running after it.

_Queen, why are we fighting?_


	8. Chapter 8

_Queen, why are we fighting?_

It froze me in my place and I had to look at what he was doing. _Grid, if we don't fight it'd kill us._

_It's a she._

_Fine then, she'd kill us. _I said. It was when his head drooped slightly that I realized that he would see my will to survive as harshness to him that I hadn't exhibited before.

_She's a queen, too._

This only confirmed my earlier assumption that this one was different. Still I had to make Grid understand that this is something that needed to be done; something that help us get on with our own lives.

Choosing my words carefully, I turned to face him._ If that's the case, then I have to fight her. In this case, you can't have split loyalties, and we'd be bound to clash._

He seemed to get the message, enough to let me go anyway, but I doubted that he'd be willing to help me in this battle. Ignoring the thought of being alone, I snuck up behind the queen. Unexpectedly, she whipped around and struck my shoulder, nearly severing it in the process. The cut was deep, but with enough glamour, I could stop the bleeding, and I could certainly keep fighting. As she pulled back, I lashed out with burning tendrils of the whip. It hit her arm which was raised to protect herself, but it also wrapped around it to hit the face and crest.

This time her flesh continued burning after I withdrew my weapon.

The smell filled the air; rotted and ancient.

While I had distracted the queen, Lex had used the chains, which attached to its neck and arms, as a pulley to throw the beast into the water. She pulled attempting to draw it into the icy depth, but she couldn't do it. It was then that Celtic and the other Yautja started to pull and the Queen eventually started to be drawn back. My stance relaxed for a moment as the ice under her broke and she tumbled down into the dark ocean. Her mental shrieks got quieter and quieter, until they eventually vanished.

She was dead.

It was over.

We were alive, but what would that mean for the others?

I rushed over to them and found that Lex was panting, but still smiling. Grid was off to the side, emitting a small smile, just for me. Celtic was clicking to the other Yautja. Despite how the gestures he used were small, I was almost positive that they were talking about the two of us. In unison they turned to face us, and traced the small marks that they made on our cheeks. Behind them, something shimmered into existence.

At first, I thought that it was the scenery that was swimming out of focus, but after a moment hundreds of Yautja were congregated on the frozen ground. I was surprised, to say the least, that I hadn't noticed any fluctuation in the levels of emotion.

One stepped forward and presented the five of us with an old spear. It was ornamented in was looked like skull fragments and feathers. Celtic and the other Yautja had taken a hold of the spear, and it wasn't until I was nudged that I did the same. Lex was the last to grip it, but when she did, present Yautja burst into roars. It was confusing, but sounded like they were enjoying themselves, and in that atmosphere it's hard to stay to objective. We were pushed into one of the ships by the buzzing crowd, and I took one final look back at a world I had considered my playground.

It was cold, barren, and now lifeless.

It seemed like quiet the contrast to the strange group I've come to think of as my own. The one I've come to love more than my family.


End file.
